19, so the Red Devils may have to splash the cash in order to lure him to the

VANCOUVER -- The man charged with the job of revitalizing the Vancouver Canucks made his first major move toward erasing the memory of one of the teams worst seasons in recent history. Trevor Linden, the former Vancouver captain who has taken over as the teams president, put his stamp on the Canucks by firing head coach John Tortorella on Thursday. Linden said the action was the first step in moving on from a frustrating season that saw the Canucks miss the playoffs for the first time since 2008. "Today is about the future of this team and the goal of getting it back to the Stanley Cup playoffs," Linden told a news conference. Tortorellas firing was expected, but Linden said he didnt want to rush the decision. "I tried to come in from a neutral place," he said. "At the end of the day I kept coming back to a lot of things I didnt like that I saw trending. I just felt to move forward and kind of put a new perspective and new direction, it was the right thing to do." Besides Tortorella, assistant coach Mike Sullivan was also relieved of his duties. They join fired president and general manager Mike Gillis as those paying the price for a dismal year that saw the Canucks finish 25th overall. Assistant coaches Glen Gulutzan and Darryl Williams and goaltender coach Roland Melanson will keep their jobs. Linden hopes to have a new general manager hired by the end of the month. The search for a coach could coincide with looking for a GM. "I have a real strong (GM) candidate list that I will be starting the interview process next week," said Linden. "I think the two processes can move along together for a certain period of time. "Its important the manager have a great deal of input on the coaching direction. That would be the ideal situation." One of the names most frequently mentioned for the Vancouver GMs job is Jim Benning, Bostons assistant general manager and a former teammate of Linden. The Bruins have the potential to play deep into the Stanley Cup playoff. Linden refused to be specific about any candidates but indicated playoff teams may be willing to let him talk to their staff. "I have not got any pushback on timing from a playoff standpoint," he said. Linden wants a coach with experience at "many levels." The person must be a teacher and be able to communicate with his players. One of the most popular Canucks of all time, Linden is trying to repair the teams image and its relationship with fans left disillusioned by Vancouvers drop from the ranks of the NHLs elite. "This is a fresh start for our team and youll see us make some other changes this summer," he said in a letter to season ticket holders. "It starts with how we shape our management and coaching staffs and the roster improvements were able to make." The Canucks had a good start under Tortorella but finished the year with a 36-35-11 record for 83 points. The Canucks had just 13 wins in the 41 games since Jan. 1. Vancouver also struggled to score, managing just 196 goals on the season, leaving the Canucks tied for second least in the league. At an April 14 season-ending news conference Tortorella was blunt when he said the Canucks are getting old and the core needed revitalizing. Linden was asked about the comments. "We talked about that," he said. "I dont totally agree with everything he said." Tortorella, who won a Stanley Cup coaching Tampa Bay in 2004, was hired as the Canucks 17th head coach last June to replace the fired Alain Vigneault. Vigneault took over Tortorellas old team, the New York Rangers, and has led them into the second round of this seasons playoffs. Tortorella has four years remaining on a contact which is estimated at US$2 million a season. Its estimated the Canucks owe Gillis $4 million for the remaining four years left on his contract. Tortorella could be cantankerous, even rude, when dealing with the media during his five seasons with the Rangers. He kept his promise to be different in Vancouver, where he was cordial and often humorous when talking to reporters. On the ice Tortorella preached defence and shot blocking. He used star players Daniel and Henrik Sedin on the penalty kill. He also faced criticism for the amount of ice time he heaped on front-line players like the Sedins and centre Ryan Kesler, who averaged 21 minutes 48 seconds of ice time a night. Tortorellas decision to start rookie goaltender Eddie Lack in the outdoor Heritage Classic game frustrated veteran Roberto Luongo. That decision eventually resulted in Luongo being traded to Florida. A rash of injuries took their toll, Both Sedins, Alex Burrows and defenceman Chris Tanev all missed a significant number of games with injuries. Noted for his fiery manner behind the bench Tortorella shocked management and the teams owners when he tried to get into the Calgary Flames locker-room following a line brawl in a Jan. 18 game in Vancouver. Tortorella was prevented from getting at Flames coach Bob Hartley and was suspended for six games. The Canucks were 2-4-0 during that period, then 2-7-1 when Tortorella returned. Linden said that incident did not factor in Tortorellas firing. Canuck players said they played a role in the fate of both Gillis and Tortorella. "The bottom line is if we win more games, then guys dont lose their jobs," said defenceman Kevin Bieksa. Among the available coaches is Barry Trotz, who was fired from Nashville last month after 15 seasons with the Predators. Other candidates include L.A. assistant coach John Stevens and former Tampa Bay coach Guy Boucher. "We will do everything we can to make this team as good as it can be and get back to the Stanley Cup playoffs," Linden said. "We have ideas of how we can do that. "Going down that path you need things and puzzles to fit together." Adidas Nmd Xr1 Discount . The White Sox said Wednesday they acquired left-handed pitching prospect Sean Bierman and infielder Ben Kline, who both played at Class A this season. The White Sox dealt Crain to Tampa Bay on July 29. Adidas Nmd Chukka Outlet .com) - John Wall had 15 points, 12 assists and four steals as the Washington Wizards defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 92-85 on Monday night. http://www.nmdukonlinestore.com/gazelle-trainers-outlet-deals.html . "Im excited just for a new start, just to see where things are going, to bring some kind of tradition back to the team and guys being excited about something new," the defensive back said during a conference call Monday after agreeing to stay with the Bombers rather than go to free agency next month. Nmd r1 Uk Sale . With nothing tangible at stake, the Raptors turned in their most impressive outing of the fall in their seventh and second to last exhibition tilt against their stiffest competition yet, but they lost a couple starters in the process. Adidas Ultra Boost Outlet Uk . -- Manager Bob Melvin shuffled the Athletics batting order and got the type of production he was looking for from the top of the lineup.Which are the most credible Manchester United transfer rumours right now? Sky Sports has teamed up with Football Whispers to bring you the most up-to-date transfer talk as Jose Mourinho looks to improve his squad ahead of the upcoming Premier League season.Football Whispers have developed a unique algorithm to take all of the transfer rumours from across the globe and calculate the likelihood of them happening. They track transfer stories and give them a score out of 5.0, with the hottest Whispers closest to 5.0.Here are the top three:1. Paul Pogba (Juventus) - 4.6Sky sources revealed on Thursday that Manchester Uniteds executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward had begun negotiations that could see Pogba return to Old Trafford in a world-record deal worth £100m, underscoring Pogbas position at the top of the Football Whispers charts. Pogba once again tops Football Whispers list for transfer rumours Despite Pogbas agent, Mino Raiola, saying initial talks with Real Madrid had taken place, and Sky Sports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague adding that Madrid is the players preferred destination, we understand the European champions are out of the running for his signature.But there were further developments on Monday as the players agent told The Times that the France international could end up staying at Juventus, adding another twist in this long-running transfer saga.Mourinho has just one of his four summer targets left to pursue, but can the Portuguese prove his worth in the transfer market and convince Pogba to return to Old Trafford?2. Nemanja Matic (Chelsea) - 1.8Mourinho is also understood to be keen on being reunited with Chelseas holding midfielder at Old Trafford next season, with this rumour now at No 2 on the Football Whisper charts. Could Nemanja Matic swap Chelsea for Man Utd this summer? However, the Serbia international, 27, is contracted to the west London club until the summer of 2019, so the Red Devils may have to splash the cash in order to lure him to the north west.3. Raphael Varane (Real Madrid) - 1.6 Raphael Varane is a long-term target for United and Mourinho is a big fan following his time coaching the defender at Real Madrid. France international centre-back Raphael Varane has been linked with a move to Maanchester United from Real Madrid However, Los Blancos have handed Varane the No 5 shirt for the new season, hinting at a more prominent role that could halt any possible move to the Theatre of Dreams.dddddddddddd Hottest Man Utd whispers - Saturday, July 16 Player Club FW rating (out of 5) Paul Pogba Juventus 4.6 Nemanja Matic Chelsea 1.8 Raphael Varane Real Madrid 1.6 Cesc Fabregas Chelsea 1.5 Toni Kroos Real Madrid 1.2 James Rodriguez Real Madrid 1.1 Blaise Matuidi Paris Saint-Germain 1.0 Dont forget to follow the most up-to-date information around the clock with the Sky Sports Transfer Centre Also See: Transfer Centre Latest transfer news Paper Talk Man Utd fixtures ' ' '